1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a clip type holder and, more particularly, to a holder or restrainer for the synthetic resin liner of a water bed for keeping the liner in a preselected position within the water bed frame. Among the restrainer's many advantages are its ease of use and its low cost.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With the wide-spread popularity and usage of water beds, it has become apparent that a unique problem exists which if unchecked could cause sudden and substantial damage. An average king-size water bed holds up to 2,000 lbs. of water. Should the water mattress rupture, there is the likelihood of a substantial amount of water escaping to cause enormous water damage to other furniture as well as to the building structure.
In the short time since the water bed has achieved wide-spread popularity, various methods and devices have been developed to hold a plastic liner within a frame over which the water mattress is then placed. The liner is to act as a water reservoir should the mattress rupture, thereby containing the water within the bed frame.
Generally, the prior art attachment methods have included the placement of the ends of the liner between two complimentary elements which are snapped together. For example, capping strips have been developed to snap onto the uppermost edge of a frame with the plastic liner squeezed between the strip and the frame edge. Other strips have been developed to press into grooves cut along the interior lateral surfaces of the frame; again, the liner is supposed to be captured between the grooved frame surfaces and the inserted strip. Other prior art devices include tack strips which are nailed to the interior surfaces of the frame; once again, the liner is to be captured between the tack strip and the frame. Another prior art method is to simply tack the upper edge of the liner to the interior lateral surfaces of the frame.
A more recent prior art device used for liner retention is shaped like a match cover and is tacked or nailed to the interior lateral surfaces of a frame. The liner is then placed inside the cover for retention.
Generally, all of the prior art devices suffer from one or more major disadvantages. Among these include such functional problems as the inability to restrain the liner in use; that is, the liner slips away from the device which is supposed to hold it. Another problem is the great difficulty encountered in installing the prior art device to the bed frame and/or in attaching the liner and the device together. Some prior art devices have been found to be exceedingly difficult to pry open or snap shut. Still other devices and attachment methods permanently damage the liner so that the liner must be discarded if the bed is moved; others damage the liner so badly during installation that it can no longer perform its water-containing function.
Other problems in the prior art include matters of aesthetics. For example, some devices require an exact fitting of the liner; if the fit is not exact, the edge of the liner will become an unsightly protrusion. Trimming the liner before installation introduces difficult tolerance problems.
Of course it is always commercially desirable to have a product that is relatively inexpensive, simply constructed and yet reliable in operation.